Unleashing the Power of Art: Shoebox Arts Helps Expand the Reach of Artists

Gabrielle Anderman's "Reparable Arm" at TAG Gallery with Joey Feldman, Kristine Schomaker, Sheli Silverio, and Gabby Anderman Photo by Jason Jenn

Studio Visit with Kristine Schomaker, Artist Malka Nedivi, And Sheli Silverio

Building a viable studio practice involves more than creating art. That's where Shoebox Arts comes in - they provide resources artists need to succeed.

We have worked with over 200 artists, and it always makes me smile to see their shows, press, sales, and new work. It is a thrill to know we had a little hand in that.”

— Kristine Schomaker, Artist, Curator and Cultural Producer

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, December 15, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Shoebox Arts serves artists in a variety of ways, and it’s now expanding and offering new service options. Founder and

artist Kristine Schomaker describes how Shoebox has progressed and evolved since she began the company in 2014 – always based on the needs of artists.

“As an artist myself, going to openings, seeing art, talking with artists, I can see what artists need and want,” she says. “We started out doing more PR for artists and events. Then we became a support network for artists. I am strong in research and organization, so being able to offer resources and tools to artists to help them in their careers was a no-brainer.”

While Shoebox has previously offered a single package of group and individual meetings, the company’s new offerings provide a split, so artists can have the option to be part of the community Schomaker has founded in one of three ways: through group meetings, individual meetings, or a combination of both.

Splitting services into smaller chunks offers more flexibility for artists. Shoebox will continue to offer free workshops, a free peer mentor exchange, and a low-cost subscription to their ongoing Call for Art list. “I want to work with all artists, but most don’t have the budget for those extra services like professional development,” Schomaker notes.

Beginning in January, Shoebox will also be bringing back Call and Response, a collaborative pairing of artists in all mediums, which offers participation free of charge. The new iteration will be Round 18; the project began to provide connection and inspiration during the lockdown portion of the pandemic.

Schomaker works with artist Sheli Silverio in fulfilling membership services and options. “Sheli and I work together with our clients one-on-one, and she helps me on the back end of teaching, with the workshops, and group meetings. We work as a great team, and I can’t imagine running Shoebox without her.” According to Silverio, “Since I started working with Kristine at Shoebox, the question that has always been on her mind is how can Shoebox help artists…Building community has always been at its roots…There is so much learning and encouragement that comes from being a part of a group of passionate, thoughtful, and talented creatives.”

Silverio herself has grown with the company. She says “Kristine as the founder of Shoebox has always been the fearless leader and I’ve enjoyed supporting her mostly behind the scenes or as her right hand over the years. We both meet with clients as a team in our one-on-one consultation meetings and we have a really lovely creative energy that we pull out of each other, brainstorming ideas and helping artists solve problems.”

Silverio says “I’ve watched clients join Shoebox and just blossom. The support of the Shoebox team and the community is more than encouraging, it’s inspiring.” Having a team and a community for professional development and advice is “more valuable than you know until you try it.”

Schomaker calls Shoebox group meetings inspiring. “We share experiences, ask and answer questions, learn new things, meet new art professionals, and learn the ins and outs of the art world. It is always a joy with lots of laughter…[and] sometimes tears when one of our artists is struggling.” They want to share this support with more artists, and now they can, Schomaker attests.

“Since everything we do is on Zoom, we are working on building our audience outside of Los Angeles and Southern California too. This will help all artists build a greater network for new opportunities.” Serving as facilitators and advocates for artists, the company’s overall goal is helping artists to succeed in whatever way that success looks like for them.

“Support begets support,” she says. “We have worked with over 200 artists, and it always makes me smile to see their shows, press, sales, and new work.” Schomaker and Silverio have worked intensely on figuring out their next steps for Shoebox, and how they could support artists while keeping costs low.

Their Artist Support Membership includes a meeting every Saturday at 10 a.m. to hear art world speakers, and participate in topic workshops, a critique/incubator meeting, and an open forum support meeting. “We also offer a biweekly call for art list, a private Facebook group, a studio visit exchange with another member artist, artist spotlights on our social media, and an Instagram live studio visit,” Schomaker says. “For those who want to participate, we will also pair our artists with an accountability partner. Artists can also do one-on-one meetings with Sheli and I, on either a per-meeting basis or as a package of 6 meetings.” And artists can also sign up for a combination of both the artist support membership and the one-on-one meetings, a powerful pairing which is how the company solely worked with artists until now.

Silverio says “I think our one-on-one meetings are a great incubator for helping artists narrow in on their goals, direction, and place in the art world, and how they can best live a sustainable creative life. We have worked with so many artists and we ourselves are artists. We have a lot of data to pull from,” she laughs. “As artists we are often too close to our own work and our own habits to clearly see what our best next step is.” But she explains, “Kristine and I are really good at bringing clarity, new ideas, and a fresh set (or two sets) of eyes to whatever the current problem is for any artist that comes to us.”

For 2023, Shoebox offers their Artist Support Membership, one-on-one meetings, exhibition PR, a peer mentorship exchange, call for art subscription and free monthly workshops. They also run Shoebox Projects, their alternative art space, which hosts virtual exhibitions.

To take advantage of the new offerings at Shoebox, artists can check out their website at https://shoeboxarts.com and look under the “Work with Us” tab. Artists can also contact Shoebox for a free 20-minute consultation for more information.